We know the Monterey Bay is a preserve, but this is just ridiculous! A massive swarm of jellies washed up along Monterey beaches this weekend, with patches of sea nettles so thick the water was transformed into extra s p i c y salsa! 🌊🌶🔥 Everyone, please give a big shoutout to local photographer @mansonfotos for enduring stings until her teeth hurt while taking this photo! 🤦‍♀️♨️ #montereybayaquarium#whatleatherbackturtlesdreamof

Thanks to @mbari_news for the 📷 and deep-sea 📚!
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People often ask our deep-sea biologists how often they see a new species. The answer is often! There are countless species yet to be described in the deep sea. This little jelly is a perfect example. Only a few centimeters in diameters, it could easily be passed over by our underwater robots on a mission! But this one was seen swimming not far off the bottom 3,150 meters (>10,000 feet) deep in the Gulf of California and our biologists took the time to get a few close-up shots in hopes that it may help in the identification at a later date. ⠀
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We often talk about the importance of biodiversity in the ocean. One key element of biodiversity is how many different species live in a particular area. But in the deep sea, understanding biodiversity is difficult because so many species have yet to be given formal scientific names. Some animals, like this one, are so inconspicuous that they barely rate a nod from specialists in the field. But big or small, all of them contribute to our overall knowledge of biodiversity in the deep sea.⠀
#MBARI#montereybayaquarium#beautyismorethanskindeep

Pelagic cormorant with the extra feathers-in-the-water flair. 👌 Cormorants are nesting all up and down Cannery Row at the moment, including below our decks! They’ve even been inspecting local divers to see if they happen to have any stray nesting materials... careful you don’t look too cozy out there! #montereybayaquarium#weneedtotalkaboutyourflair#iwannaflylikeacormorant

...life in its jewel boxes is endless as the sand.
- Pablo Neruda
One of the prettiest and most colorful species of sea slugs, opalescent nudibranchs are also formidable and feisty foes! When two of them meet head-to-head, a biting battle is likely to follow. #montereybayaquarium#swingingfrommynudibranch#attaboygirlslugger